REVIEW: "Oppenheimer"

Genre: Drama

Director: Christopher Nolan

Writer: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Josh Hartnett, Emily Blunt, Kenneth Branagh, Florence Pugh and Benny Safdie

Oppenheimer is good... in fact it is quite good! I believe it is the most assured movie Christopher Nolan has ever made in his career. It doesn't mean it is my favorite movie of his, but here you feel he is in full control of every dimension of his movie at the same time: narrative, style, acting and technical aspects. Technically, this movie seems perfect - everything is in perfect harmony with everything - but there's a lot of information going on-screen and it is a movie that demands you to be focused. The movie switches from a narrative line to another: the central storyline, which tells the story of Oppenheimer and how his personal and professional life have led him to the creation of the atomic bom; then there's Lewis Strauss' public hearing (the black and white parts); and then there's Oppenheimer's hearing when he's a lot older than in the central narrative line. It's a lot and it is a movie that's not for everybody, but it's a great movie for me.

So, the movie starts giving the audience context about Oppenheimer's early academic life, early personal life, his ventures, his ambitions and his ideals, but (unlike most biopics) all these elements that are presented are later revealed to be highly relevant somehow. For all means, Oppenheimer is not a cool good guy and Nolan understands that, so he makes him an highly charismatic character in order to get the audiences sympathy and then casts Cillian Murphy - a great actor able to deliver a very internal performance under the surface of a man almost made of steel - which shows his genius. Thanks to the way he writes Oppenheimer and thanks to Murphy's presence, Nolan is able to tell a story about an unpleasant man and engage an audience. It's good writing work and it's good directing work, yet this is Cillian Murphy's movie - front and center - and he excels here! It's a magnetic central performance that exudes charisma but relies on a nuanced approach and a very sad heart that carries the movie during its 3 hours running. Here, Murphy delivers the best performance of his career topping his work in 2005's Breakfast on Pluto with an acting turn that contrasts completely with the later one.

The rest of the cast also deliver very strong work, specially Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss - it's refreshing to see him being back to non-MCU movies in such style. As Strauss, Downey Jr. seems to delve into the mind of the character and absorve all his mannerisms while simply eating the Nolan dialogue. It's a juicy part and the actor uses every second he is on the scene to remind us how (and why) he was considered one of the best actors of his generation. Another big turn comes from Emily Blunt as the typical suffering/supportive wife with a drinking problem - it is by far one of the most conventional (and unchallenging) performances Blunt has ever delivered in recent years, but hers belong some of the best scenes in the whole movie. Blunt could have done this part in her sleep, but she elevates the material and the character and delivers a small acting gem here. Matt Damon and Josh Hartnett are also quite good here and Bennie Safdie gets some room to shine also.

Technically, Oppenheimeir is as great as Nolan's previous big productions, but it all feels way more polished. The production design team did a great job recreating many places and situations that feel quite authentic and historically accurate. The costume design is lovely and the aging makeup is also good (it quite reminds me of A Beautiful Mind's work in this department, actually), but the gold goes to Ludwig Göransson AMAZING score - in fact, I think the score is what actually keeps this movie burning and alive, which helps keeping the pace and help the audiences to be immerse in the 3 hour running. The sound editing and mixing are outstanding and I still feel my room shaking during the Trinity test scene. Great use of visual effects as you can expect from a Nolan movie.

But Oppenheimer also tries to go further the biopic narrative. It manages to offer a perspective about guilt, grief and how dark ambition can be, even for the man who achieves his goals. It's something I think Nolan has never done before: offering moments of introspection and morals. There's a scene full of symbolism that makes a clear point about what Nolan wants to say the world about war and destruction in name of politics. He doesn't totally succeed for me: I consider that scene to be "too well crafted" for me in the way it offers so many visual elements that don't chanel the message the director wants to deliver. Yet, I understood what he meant when I came home later.

So, in the end, Oppenheimer is perfectly crafted and it features a complex and dense narrative that's completely bearable thanks to great acting and an amazing score, but... this is a movie with a lot to tell and it tries to be a bit darker than it actually is.  It offers a vehicle for audiences to think about how evil Man can be to its own kind and how political power and political ambition are a menace for our own kind. So, a very good movie in a very traditional way, but with some technical groundbreaking elements that elevate this one. One of Nolan's most solid films ever, but can't top my favorite of his yet.

RATING: 8,5 / 10

Oscar potential categories:

• Best Picture
• Best Director
• Best Actor (Cillian Murphy)
• Best Supporting Actress (Emily Blunt)
• Best Supporting Actor (Robert Downey Jr.)
• Best Adapted Screenplay
• Best Editing
• Best Cinematography
• Best Production Design
• Best Costume Design
• Best Makeup & Hair
• Best Visual Effects
• Best Original Score
• Best Sound